How do I get rid of these mites in my room and where have they come from?

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How do I get rid of these mites in my room and where have they come from?

(19 posts)

Started 1 year ago by ChrisPK
Latest reply from BigRick

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ChrisPK (Member)

I have a room in the Attic and I've never seen anything like this before.

I'm seeing these really tiny mites (that's if they are mites) usually on anything that's paper or cardboard, even if it's glossy like a photograph.

They are like a white or light tan colour.

The only thing that I can think may have caused this is the fact that I have some wooden drawers in my room that I bought from someone.

It seems these drawers were probably kept in a cellar because they have that kind of damp cellar smell.

They did have some light mold on the back and I cleaned it off, in fact I cleaned all of the drawers inside and out with a chemical spray.

Now I got these drawers about 3 months ago, and like I said I've only noticed the mite problem in these last few days, so I'm not sure if it could be anything to do with the drawers. Also on the back where all the mold is I cannot see any mites on it.

On the inside I don't really think I've seen one mite on the actual wood, but I've seen them on new books and posters that are in the drawers.

Yet on the other shelves in my room, and it seems that there's nothing wrong with them, and they're not bare wood (they're coloured and I guess they are varnished) I've seen one or two mites crawling about on each shelf.

Now when I saw these mites it was late in the afternoon.

This morning though I've had a bit of a look around but can't seem to see any.

I've also took one of the wooden panels of the wall (which is access into the bare attic if you know what I mean, and can't seem to see any in there, so maybe they're not coming from there either.

I've tried looking on Google but it hasn't really helped, the mites that seem to have the most in common with the ones I have are dust mites (but those are bed bugs aren't they?) and none of the mites are on the bed or in any of the dust which has collected on some of the bed frame. And then there's mold mites, yet I've not seen any on the back of the drawers where the mold is.

Sorry about making such a long post, but I just wanted to give as much information as possible to help you guys help me.

I'm worried this is going to get worse, and I'm worried that they're going to eat away at anything that's made out of paper and cardboard.

Thanks.

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, that when I looked at the back of the drawers where I had cleaned the mold away, it's all come back, which is quite strange because surely the wood has to be damp all the time?

Btw, sorry for making the mistake of posting this in the Introductions forum.

Posted 1 year ago #
maggierose (Member)

Welll, first of all, what did you use to clean the mold? It doesn't sound like it was something that was made to kill the mold, just to clean. Is the dresser something that you can use a mold remover product (bleach...) and when it is dry paint it or would you be better off just setting it on the curb for a Mongo, like me, to pick up and drag home?

As for the mites, I don't mean to insult you, but how long has it been since you changed your bedding? Do you store you clean bedding in the dresser in question? Is your mattress one that you bought and know is made of first run material and not a mattress that is simply recovered (use both definitions of the word recovered) from a street corner. This REALLY DOES HAPPEN, EVEN WITH NEWLY PURCHASED MATTRESSES.

If everything seems to be clean and of good quality, but you still find what you think is dust mites, I would give the whole place a good cleaning. Most people do not know this, but a mattress will DOUBLE in weight after ten years of use from dead skin, dead and live things that is better not to think about. So, maybe get out the good old shop vac and suck away at the box springs and mattress--both sides of each.

Getagrip has not appeared for a few days and he would be able to best advice you on exactly what you have and what to do, in the meantime I would start to clean, inspect and get rid of anything that you feel would be the culprit. Before you toss things out the window though, you may want to wait until getagrip is back in circulation.

Don't worry about the length of your post, I am one of the worst ones for taking a thousand words to make one simple point!!

Posted 1 year ago #
getagrip (Member)

Hey Chris..look up "psocids" pronounced so cid, or "booklice"..See if that's your guy. Sounds like it. Good luck and let us know.

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

Hey maggierose.

I change my bedding often. I have looked on the bed and the sheets but there's none of them on it.

Hi getagrip, I've done some research on Google and I've looked up things like psocids, but I'm really not sure what the ones are that I have. Booklice seem to be a brown colour, whereas mine aren't.

As for dust mites they're supposed to not be visible.

They do seem to sound like mold mites, but then there are none where the mold is.

Posted 1 year ago #
getagrip (Member)

Quick question..( or maybe more)what is the relative humidity of this "attic" you live in? I picture from what you are saying a finished attic with panelling and insulation behind it with maybe a window on each end and maybe some drywall. Was this done by the homeowner? Do you have ventilation? Is it Hot hot hot or cold cold cold where you live? Any bird and/or other problem in the unfinished part behind the drywall or panel? Can you get some samples of this mite on a piece of clear tape and look at them under a microscope? Whew..

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

I'm not sure about the humidity, but I guess it must be humid for the mold to grow back on those drawers.

I think maybe an older home owner did make the attic. There is paneling for the walls (plaster board I guess), not sure if there is insulation behind it, but I don't think there is.

There is one window in the ceiling, but that leaks a little sometimes, so that may add to the humidity I guess.

It's also been raining really heavly all the time over here in the UK, probably 3, 4 or even 5 times a week for the past few months.

Where I live it is REALLY hot in there in the summer, but REALLY cold in the winter.

There could be a problem behind the paneling, I did think that maybe there could be a dead rodent in there and the mites are coming from that?

I have taken off one of the wooden panels on the panneling (if that makes sense) and I've looked at the wooden frame, but there's no mites on it, I was thinking surely there would be if that's where they were coming from.

There were pigeions that used to live on the roof which may have been carrying the mites and the mites got through the leak in the window, but I'm really sure they can't live on the roof anymore because I've not heard them for about a year, and I know I definatley didn't have a mite problem a year ago.

Maybe there's a dead bird on my roof?

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

To add, I remember looking around my window frame (which has developed some mould too), but there's no mites on it, so I don't think they're coming in from the leak and it's anything to do with the roof.

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

I forgot to say, I've started to try and do something about it.

I have basically sprayed 'rentokill' in the drawers, shelves and basically over everything in the room and the carpet, and kept the roof shut up for several hours.

I then opened the window to let the fumes out, put a fan on and left it like that, because it should make the room less humid and I've heard that some mites don't like the cold. It's freezing right now, frost outside, and I'm going to leave the window open each day for several days with the fan on, the radiator has been turned off completely too.

Next I will clean the mould off the drawers and window frame with bleach, vaccuum everything completely, every object, like books, magazines, etc.

Wipe everything with Detol (bacterial and virus killer), and seal all of my things in plastic boxes.

If this doesn't get rid of them I'll have to throw the drawers out (maybe I should have done this already but I'm not sure if they're causing the problem, and they are nice drawers).

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

Oops, I shut the room up, not roof.

Posted 1 year ago #
getagrip (Member)

You are doing an excellent job!! I'm confident that your measures will resolve your problem and you've saved yourself a lot of money !! Let us know how it goes..

Posted 1 year ago #
ChrisPK (Member)

Will do, I'll keep you updated.

I've decided to just get rid of the drawers anyway, they're outside now.

I've sprayed around the window frame and around both wooden panels with 'Raid', where those critters may be coming in. Raid will leave a lasting barrier.

All contents of the drawer have been vaccumed with the hose and layed out on the carpet, I then sprayed a mist of 'Rento Kill' over them, turned everything over after a while and then sprayed another mist of Rento Kill over them.

Cleaned a plastic container with Detol, put all contents into the container, I then sprayed another mist of Rento Kill into the box and quickly put the lid on it and sealed the box.

(More to come)

People may think I'm going over the top, but I've heard how things like this can be really hard to get rid of. I still have a feeling I may never completely get rid of them, but I'm going to do everything I can think of to exterminate the ******* and for them to not return.

Posted 1 year ago #
maggierose (Member)

Hows it going? I wanted mention that putting a cut up flea collar in the vac bag will give a teeny bit of help in killing the live ones you suck up. What are you putting on your clothes? It won't hurt you will it? I am curious for other people who have to deal with buggy clothes. I know dry cleaning will kill off other bugs, so maybe this would be safer, but I do not know what you are using.

Posted 1 year ago #
daveyskel (Member)

Hi ChrisPK, I actually have a worse problem than you with what I think are mould mites.

My whole house is probably infested with them and to make matters worse I am allergic to the little devils. I realised this when a got a horrible red rash around my face and it was only through deduction that I realised the mites had been crawling onto my specs when I left them on the bedside cabinet.

I rectified that problem but the things are always present and I regularly get eczema attacks when I come into contact with them.

I live in an old damp house and I have thousands of books. Every 3 months or so I attack the mites with disinfectant and hoovering but its only a containment measure and my only solution will be to eventually move house.

Posted 8 months ago #
getagrip (Member)

Where does the dampness come from? Can you ventilate and dry out the house?

Posted 8 months ago #
jwiz512 (Member)

Hi,
I recently purchased 6 love birds from a neighbor. I have been itching since the day after I got them. I did see some tiny red things but I still am not sure if it's from the birds or not. I have seen people are having problems getting rid of this stuff and many suggestions even going to a Doctor for it. I live on the Eastern Shore and I have had Doctors in Baltimore Maryland say it was scabies before when my niece went home with red bumps and itching several years back, Something that most Doctors in the city don't realize when you live in an area of farming and trees, we get CHIGGERS. After my niece went camping the following year and her mother being furious with me because she thought her daughter got scabies from my dogs, she learned that her daughter had caught the same thing again. I then got a friendly phone call asking what it was that I said she had from our area. As this pediatrician had told her scabies she was going nuts trying to get rid of it and I can't even begin to tell you what the Doctor made her go through. I simply told her to put some fingernail polish on the red spots or get some chigger rid at the pharmacy and put that on. As I have one son who would often play near a bush in my back field and each year he got Chiggers. So, in short if you have been outdoors near the trees, grass, etc. you may want to check into seeing if your family possibly has chiggers as they are extremely annoying. Sometimes they are better known as RED Bugs. Normally not everyone will get them, just the person who was mostly exposed to them and they are pretty easy to get over if you use the right stuff. If not be prepared to itch and then hurt from it.

Posted 6 months ago #
getagrip (Member)

Very true..most people north of Maryland or from metropolitan areas have never encountered chiggers or even heard of them. Now you ask some country boy from down south what they are and he'll start scratching.

Posted 6 months ago #
Anonymous ()

dont be so dishearted,now a days there are many deterrents available to get rid of birds try those you will surely get some good results.

Posted 6 months ago #
BigRick (Member)

The little white mites that are barely visible to the naked eye are indeed mold mites. I have them everywhere. I resorted to putting my food and utensils in a deep freezer, which I have turned off. That worked for a while, but then I found them on the outside of my bread bag. I have started storing everything in ziplock bags, but the ONLY safe place is in my running freezer (a toothbrush takes a while to thaw out under the water each morning...). I vacuum, and it helps for a few days, but my house is old and damp and I can't afford to fix all the sources of humidity. I feel like I'm living in the middle of a Biblical curse. I WISH there was a pesticide that would be effective; I live alone and would spray it everywhere if anything would work, but I read that these things are immune to most chemicals. If I were rich, I'd burn my house down--that might get'em.

Posted 5 months ago #

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